Charles Hardin Holley, known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer/songwriter who produced some of the most distinctive and influential work in rock music.

He was born on September 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas. In early 1956, Holly and his band began recording demos and singles in Nashville under the name Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes, but the group's lineup was later revised and dubbed The Crickets. Between August 1957 and August 1958, Holly and the Crickets charted seven different Top 40 singles. Coincidentally, "That'll Be the Day" where he says, "that'll be the day when I die", topped the U.S. chart exactly 500 days before Holly's untimely death.

In October 1958, Holly split from The Crickets and moved to Greenwich Village in New York City. Due to legal and financial problems resulting from the band's breakup, he agreed to tour through the Midwest with The Winter Dance Party. On February 3, 1959, he chartered a private plane to take him from a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, to the tour's next stop in Moorhead, Minnesota. Ritchie Valens and JP "The Big Bopper", joined him.The plane crashed within minutes of leaving the ground, killing all aboard. Buddy Holly was just 22 years old. His funeral was held at the Tabernacle Baptist Church back in Lubbock.

Buddy Holly inspired many rock legends. John Lennon and Paul McCartney cited Holly as their main influence. Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Elton John were too inspired by Buddy Holly. His music remains vital today.

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